I never thought I'd be planning a shotgun wedding. Nobody's pregnant; in fact, we're two guys, so we couldn't if we tried. The problem is that after all this waiting and witnessing the triumphant march toward equality, we only have three days in late October to legally marry.

Whew! And wow! It took an online application that I did on a Saturday, an office visit and a follow-up office visit, and now Karin is taken care of for Social Security and Medicare! We are thrilled that this trailblazing went so smoothly and happened without a lot of hassle.

Life has truly never been better, but that is not to say that it is a seamless transition from the torture of long distance to forever-happy days. While we couldn't wait to see the end of the distance, there are things we didn't even realize we were going to miss.

Now she can be with me legally and safely in the U.S. She can travel on her own or with me and return safely through the U.S. residents' line at border-crossing customs desks. Our future is ours to plan; travel taken and time spent doing it are not at the whim of the U.S. government anymore.

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and law professor David Strange made a wholly unfounded argument July 18, 2013, in The New York Times. Their attempt to carve LGBT families out of federal immigration protections is baseless and punitive.

My doctor has helped me with some symptoms. My massage therapist has been understanding too. Ditto for my acupuncturist and my chiropractor. Even my dentist sees what stress has done to my teeth and jaws. My lawyer knows better than most what this whole issue involves.

Immigration is very complicated, so I contacted Bryan K. Randolph, an attorney practicing in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area who is preparing to face an influx of cases of binational same-sex couples seeking recognition of their relationships for the purpose of immigration.

For us, it's the end of a long, long journey. Well, it's not really the end until Karin gets her green card. But it's the last hurdle for us. And it's the green light that so many have waited for to get married and established together in America.

DOMA placed a dark cloud over same-sex binational couples, forcing them to live in fear of separation. U.S. citizens, in order to stay together with a foreign same-sex spouse or partner, were often forced to choose between the person they love or the country they love.

After wrestling with the immigration system for 23 years, just like that, I have a clear path to citizenship. My husband can finally petition for a green card for me. I am relieved, grateful, and more optimistic than ever about my family's future in the country we call home.

What does it feel like to be like everyone else? As I write this, I can hear my daughter Clara squealing from her high chair in the kitchen as Papá -- who can now become a citizen because I can sponsor him -- tells her not to plaster herself with yogurt.

For Cathy and Catriona and their three children, everything is at stake. If the Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, Cathy could immediately receive approval of her green card application. If the law is upheld, she will be forced to move thousands of miles away from her spouse and children.

Not only are such couples denied the general range of federal rights and benefits associated with marriage, but they also deal with the additional stress and trauma of having to find ways to physically stay together in the same country.

We were completely amazed by the celebrity support we received. Stars from the movie business, TV, the music business and more have tweeted our video, providing millions of people with the chance to learn about DOMA and its destructive impact on loving couples.

I do have a plan. Sort of. As much as we can plan for something that might not happen, Karin and I know that we will sell our house, move to Scotland and come to America as often as we can. So, if DOMA stays, we go. None of this makes me feel good.

This tale of three flags is our nightmare. It made me take early retirement. It made us spend months apart, in different countries, until I quit my job years earlier than planned. My flag, my country, won't let me sponsor her flag, her citizenship, her gender, for U.S. immigration

I spend too much time and money on DOMA, my personal and community enemy since I met my wife in 2005. Because of DOMA, my life has been turned upside down, my pockets turned inside out, my future blurred. DOMA has made me do some things that no American should have to do.

Thanks to you, the injustice and inequality that binational same-sex couples face as a result of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has finally come to light. The DOMA Project's video about their story, "Missing Husband," has gone viral, and people are starting to finally listen.

More than a year ago, I was forced into exile because the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prevents me from sponsoring my same-sex British partner for a green card, so he had to return to the UK, and I went with him. There are 81 people in Washington who owe me my life back.

Eric Manriquez, a U.S. citizen, has been legally married to Juan Rivera, an undocumented immigrant, for five years in California, yet Rivera can't apply for a green card through marriage as heterosexual spouses can, because the federal government doesn't recognize their union.

I'm British and have lived in the UK my whole life. I never expected to find myself with a partner from another country. Having to deal with the distance was hard enough, but what happens when one partner can't expect to be sponsored for citizenship in the other's country?

You decided to exclude the gays, the people who worry everyday that their partner will be deported, who watch their partners cry because they can't visit a sick father, who believe in the justice we seek for all immigrants because the suffering is identical and must end for us all.

Lesbian and gay Americans and permanent residents will still not be able to sponsor their loved ones for permanent residency. LGBT organizations and coalition partners will vigorously protest, but at the end of the day, we will still be left out in the cold.